Letting Go of the Future
by ViraNight
Summary: Gaara is a quiet teen, burdened with a sickness that is his deepest secret. He was supposed to die a year ago but has somehow managed to hold on. Fate guides his way but for better or for worse? Will he get a chance at life? SasuGaa fic. YAOI
1. Gaara

**Summary:** **Gaara is a quiet teen, burdened with a sickness that is his deepest secret. He was supposed to die a year ago but has somehow managed to hold on. Fate guides his way but for better or for worse? Will he get a chance at life? SasuGaa fic. YAOI. **

**Author's Note:**** Well, this is my second SasuGaa fic. I hope you all like it.**

**Disclaimer:**** Of course I own Naruto. May a piano fall on me if I lie. – gets hit by a piano – **

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**Letting Go of the Future**

**Chapter One: Gaara**

_**Hello. Do you know me? Because I know you. Do not be afraid of me. Or maybe you should be. I am the one with my finger on the scale, the brakes and the bullet. I choose who lives and who dies, who soars and who crashes. I decide which disease, disasters and dilemmas you go through. Have I introduced myself? No? How rude of me. My name is Kismet, Chance, Providence, Destiny and Luck. My name is Fate. I watch over you and guide your actions. I am always there. Sometimes, to keep myself amused, I enjoy a little game. Let us enter our first player. Gaara Kaze. I have not tilted the scale in his favour at all. The harder the life the more interesting the game. I have his life in my hands, my paw on his tail. I will let him loose for now; the game hasn't truly started yet. But when it does…….we shall see.**_

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It wasn't the best day for anyone. The sky was gray, the water reflected the colour of the sky and to all those who were outside, it seemed as though the world had gone into a state of complete gray. Gaara both loved and hated days like this. The particular tint of clouds made him wonder if it was going to rain. If it was, he would enjoy it. Otherwise he hated that the colours of the world were sucked out and replaced by a depressing shade.

Gaara was walking along the river, heading towards his favourite place. The place in question was an extremely old but tall tree that had been around for ages. The branches were curled and twisted and only someone with a fairly agile body would be able to climb into the branches of the tree. That was the reason Gaara had for claiming said tree as his place. No one else he knew of had the ability to swing into the tangled branches of the tree. He was grateful for the chance to escape his world and to come to this place of peace where he could gaze at the river and feel nothing at all.

The redhead walked to the base of the old tree and placed his hands on the lowest branch. Pulling himself up, he swung forward, hooking his legs around a branch that was higher up. He let go of the one he was holding and pushed against the tree trunk to bring himself up completely. He settled into an array of branches that seemed to have been made just for him. His back could lean against the tree while four other branches held his legs and two branches on the side created armrests. It seemed big enough to fit two people but Gaara would never bring someone else here.

Feeling a slight twinge of pain in his neck, he placed his hand to a burn-like mark on his neck. The feeling faded and Gaara relaxed. He wished that he could be normal but Gaara knew the uselessness of wishing. There was no point in it unless you had the power to make your wish come true. Many wishes are unattainable. So why bother? Gaara lapsed into his usual train of thought as he stared through the branches of the tree to the view he had of Konoha. His mind went blank as he looked at the landscape around him.

A drop of water landed on his shoulder and he looked skyward to see dark clouds swirl over the city, preparing to unleash a torrent of rain. The redhead sighed and sat up. He stretched his back and then proceeded to descend from his perch, jumping down somewhat recklessly. He landed with practiced ease and stood up calmly. It was beginning to rain a little harder but Gaara didn't mind. In fact, he rather enjoyed the rain when he was outside. However, he knew that he had to return home soon or face the wrath of his sister, Temari.

The redhead began to walk back along the river. The sky released a downpour of rain causing the other citizens to go scrambling back indoors. Gaara loved walking in the rain. He loved the cleansing feeling it gave him even if he got sick the next day which was very unlikely. Within moments, the redhead was drenched in water; his hair was hanging limp and his clothes sticking to his body. Gaara didn't care, he enjoyed every minute of it.

He turned around a corner and made out three shapes at the end of the block. He knew their shapes very well and from the looks of their outlines, they were none other than Naruto, Haku and Hinata. They were the closest people to him apart from his family and he treated them as such. He moved toward them, a small smile gracing his features but vanishing as he got within eyesight of the three.

"Hey look! It's Gaara! Hey, Gaa-" Haku began to greet the redhead but was cut off by Naruto.

"Why the hell aren't you wearing a jacket _or_ carrying an umbrella? Are you _trying_ to get sick?!" Naruto demanded. Gaara shook his head, spraying the three of them with water droplets.

"You know I don't need help with that," Gaara commented dryly. Naruto rolled his eyes while Haku laughed and Hinata gave a tentative smile. Naruto held his umbrella over Gaara's dripping head. The corners of Gaara's mouth lifted the tiniest fraction and he slipped from under the umbrella to stand in the rain once more.

"If you get sick then blame yourself," Naruto sighed. The redhead tilted his head back and let the rain cascade over his face.

"Gaara-chan, you don't need more sickness," Haku said exasperatedly. Gaara merely looked at him, bored. Haku took the opportunity to drag them into the nearest building which happened to be a restaurant. The foursome slid into a nearby booth, Gaara managing to drip water everywhere.

"Naru……Naruto……we sh-should wait…here…until the rain stops. That way…Gaara……won't get wet…or sicker…" Hinata stammered. Naruto smiled softly at his girlfriend and nodded. Gaara opened his mouth to object but Haku was already ordering what he wanted for lunch and this left the others no choice but to wait with him. Gaara settled back as comfortably as he could in wet clothing.

"That's why you shouldn't have gotten soaked, Gaara," Naruto chastised. Gaara turned his head so fast that he felt slightly nauseous.

"Shut up, Naruto," Gaara snarled. Naruto "eeped" and blushed, backing down from the wrath of the redhead. Haku laughed loudly and pointed at the embarrassed blonde.

"You should have known that Gaara-chan would have come after you if you scolded him like that," Haku laughed. A timid smile spread across Hinata's face as Naruto turned a deep shade of red. Gaara smirked at the blonde and then leaned against his chair. The redhead stretched his arms skyward, elongating his body in order to relieve every cramped muscle. He relaxed and let his arms fall to his sides. Naruto, sensing that the coast was clear, began to talk again.

"Honestly, Kaze. You've got to-"

"Did I not just say 'shut up', Uzumaki? There is no way anything I get is going to be worse than what I already have," Gaara interrupted Naruto. Haku grinned at the pair of them. Whenever the two of them started to use their last names, they were starting to get serious and concerned about one another. Haku loved it when this happened. The feminine looking teen dug into the steak that was placed in front of him and eagerly awaited the beginning of the show. Naruto sent a heated glance in the redhead's direction while Gaara sent an equally (if not more) fiery glare back at him.

"Don't add sickness to sickness. And anyway, we're staying here until the rain stops. Deal with it, Kaze," Naruto said. Gaara twitched. Naruto was his best friend but the blonde was annoyingly protective. Gaara knew that Naruto was just looking out for him but he still hated that he was weaker than he would like.

"Make me."

Haku grinned. This wasn't as interesting as some of the other battles he had witnessed between the two but it was enough to keep him entertained. Hinata, on the other hand, was looking nervously from her boyfriend to Gaara.

"Kaze, I've beaten you once before. I'll do it again," Naruto smirked. Gaara cracked a small smile. He remembered the fight well. He had been walking down the school hallway when someone crashed into him from behind. Gaara had turned around and thrown the person into the lockers. He strode away, knowing that whoever it had been would regret that they had crashed into him. He did not expect his shoulder to be grabbed and a punch to be thrown. He was sent backwards, his jaw smarting from the blow he had received.

He regained his balance and looked at his attacker. A blonde teen with deep blue eyes and weird markings on his face glared at him. Gaara had felt his blood boil and the two engaged in an intense, destructive fight. For a while, Gaara had the upper hand, his other self coming out and doing quite a bit of damage to the blonde. But then, as he held Naruto by the shoulders, preparing to shove him into the lockers, Naruto had leaned forward and head-butted him. He had been knocked out and Naruto had won.

The redhead smiled mentally at the memory. They had become great friends when they had had to serve fifteen hours of community service in order to make up for the fight. Gaara, being Gaara, had finished first since most of the people in Konoha wanted nothing to do with him but he stayed with Naruto until he finished his community service. The two had become fast friends. Haku had joined them a year afterwards when he had declared he was bored simply talking to normal people. Hinata, who had been crushing on Naruto for years, had finally gone steady with the blonde and had joined them a few months ago.

The redhead winced as a bolt of pain shot through his body. The other three noticed the small movement and narrowed their eyes as they gazed at the redhead. Gaara felt a flush rise to his face as he looked at all of them. He mentally told the flush to go back where it came from and it backed off. He dipped his head but his stance dared them to say something. Hinata spoke up timidly.

"Gaara-sama? It happened……didn't……didn't it?" Hinata stuttered. Gaara lifted his head and looked at the timid girl. Hinata met his gaze squarely despite the stuttering in her voice. Surprisingly, it was Gaara who backed down from the firm stare of the Hyuuga.

"Gaara, medication. Get it. Now." Naruto glared at the redhead. Gaara felt another twinge of pain course through his body. Haku sighed and pointed at the restaurant door.

"How long has this been going on?" Haku asked. Gaara looked away and didn't answer. "When we came in?" There was no answer. "When you met us?" The redhead was silent. "Since _before_ you met us?" Although Gaara was facing away from Haku, the feminine boy could tell that Gaara was blushing. "Go _home_!"

"But…" Gaara began.

"Look at you; you've started trembling all over. Kaze, I'm exactly the same." Naruto pointed towards the door. "Medication, Gaara. Take care of your health for once!"

Seeing that there was no opportunity whatsoever to argue, Gaara got up and walked towards the door. His steps were shaky and he knew that his friends would call him on that afterwards. He made it to the door and walked into the damp world outside. The rain had slowed but a steady trickle still fell from the sky. Gaara felt the cold right to his very bones. The air felt frigid as it flowed into his lungs.

Gaara walked quickly, hoping that he would make it home before his pain doubled, or worse, he collapsed. He managed to get into his house and halfway up the stairs before he was confronted by his elder brother. He held his cellphone out to him and shook it in Gaara's face. The redhead pushed Kankuro's hand away.

"What?"

"Naruto just called me and asked if you had gotten home safely. When I asked why, he said it was because you never got your FUCKING MEDICATION!" Gaara flinched as the volume of his brother's voice rose. He dipped his head in a way that Kankuro supposed was meant to be sorrowful. He grabbed his younger brother by the arm and pulled him towards the kitchen. Gaara tried to wrench his arm free unsuccessfully.

"You're too rough! Temari wasn't here this morning! That's why I didn't-" Gaara started to protest.

"No excuses! You should have taken it yourself!"

"You _banned_ me from taking it myself!" Gaara shouted. Kankuro paused for a moment.

"True, very true. But that doesn't matter now. Stand still," Kankuro positioned his brother and then took up a syringe that was lying on the kitchen counter. He made sure the right dosage was in and then turned to his brother and pulled down the collar of his shirt.

"Fuck! Why the hell do you have to be so rough?!"

"Sorry, sorry! I'll try to be gentler next time!"

Gaara pulled his shirt back into place while glaring at his brother. Kankuro took no notice of the look that was being sent his way. He was immune to the Gaara glare. After living with it for so long, it no longer had any effect on him. Gaara rubbed his neck where Kankuro had jabbed the needle inside of him. His sister Temari was much gentler but because she left early for work and Gaara was forbidden to take medication on his own, the job fell to Kankuro.

"Why can't I do it myself?" Gaara grumbled. "I'm seventeen. Aren't I old enough to do it myself?"

"Remember what happened last time? You overdosed because your other half made you try to kill yourself. So you are no longer allowed to give yourself med. Stop sulking," Kankuro smiled at his younger sibling. The redhead ignored him and stomped up the stairs to his room. Kankuro watched sadly as Gaara left the room. His brother was so young; too young to deserve the fate that was set out for him. Kankuro hoped, with all his being, that the prediction he made when Gaara had first gotten sick was incorrect. But then again, Kankuro was almost always wrong.

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_**So the first player has been moved. Gaara Kaze has now been entered in my game. As I said before, I enjoy a little fun now and then. Gaara is the perfect player. Now how can I mess up his life? The main problem has been given and now we need others. Will you join my little game? You need not play, you can simply observe. It will be very interesting. Or at least, I will make it very interesting.**_

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Gaara slammed his bedroom door and turned to flop on his bed. The bed with its black linens and purple comforter was Gaara's favourite piece of furniture. He lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes as he waited for the medication to take effect. He felt a soothing coolness relieve the burning he felt on his neck and the rest of his body. Gaara looked towards the skylight that was built into his room.

The sky was beginning to show signs of a storm ahead. Even better. Storms were Gaara's favourite kind of weather. He found lightning fascinating and knew the colours and most of the shapes. The redhead sighed as he thought about his illness. The only times he would ever show emotion was when he was alone in his room. Even those who he was extremely close to did not receive all that much expression. Only rarely did Gaara ever truly show what he was feeling.

The only things that saw emotion constantly from the redhead were the objects in his room. And now, Gaara allowed his room to see the pain that flitted across his face as the soothing cold turned into a burning frigidness that froze everything inside of him. It felt like tiny needles were poking their way into him. He twitched as the ache moved across his body. Within minutes he was cold all over.

The redhead shivered and pulled a soft black blanket around his slender shoulders. Normally, Gaara would be sticking it out wherever he was, allowing nothing to betray him. But here, in his room, he would permit himself to show weakness. As long as nobody randomly walked in the door, he would be fine. Gaara's shivering was now starting to shake the bed very slightly. He wrapped the blanket around him tighter and gazed at the darkening sky.

A flash of bright light seared through the western horizon and lit up the sky. A few seconds after that, a resounding crash split the sky and a torrent of rain poured down. Gaara watched the storm with a fascinated but slightly bored expression. He made a mental note of the colours that the lightning bore. _Green, white, white, yellow, red, white, yellow._ There were so many different colours. A new list formed in his head of shapes. _Jagged, straight, curved, curved, straight, curved, jagged._

So many different forms. Gaara put a hand unconsciously to the mark on his neck. It was normal temperature now. The redhead took his hand away and brought it back under the blanket to keep warm. Within two minutes, he heard his father's car in the driveway. Gaara closed his eyes and prayed that tonight would be the night for his father to actually take notice and acknowledge him. Even though Gaara did this every night, his father continued to act as if he did not exist and this hurt the redhead more than any form of abuse could.

Gaara released the blankets from his grasp and let them fall back to the bed. He got up and composed himself, shutting in every single bit of emotion he might feel the need to express. He walked downstairs, not bothering to hurry because his father moved just as slowly as he did and sometimes even more so. Gaara went into the hallway at the same moment that his father opened the door.

The spiky hair of his father was reproduced on both Kankuro and Gaara. Kankuro's hair was the exact replica of his father's while Gaara only retained the spikiness. Temari (when she let her hair down) took after their mother which explained why she and Kankuro were the favourites among their father. Gaara had neither the eye colour nor the hair colour of anyone in their family.

His father was standing in the hall, Kankuro and leaning against the doorframe of the living room archway. Gaara was only ever shy around his father who he felt he barely knew.

"How are you my son?" He murmured to Kankuro.

"I'm fine, Dad," Kankuro replied with a smile.

"That's good. Where's Temari?"

"She's not home yet. The weather must be holding up traffic or something."

Their father nodded and walked right past Gaara into the kitchen, giving no sign that he knew his son was there or even existed. The redhead, although knowing that his father would not acknowledge him, deep in some small corner of his heart, he hoped that his father would say something to him. But as his father walked through the kitchen door and sat down at the table, that small hope was crushed as it had been so many other nights.

Gaara raised his head to look at his brother who stared at him with an expression of sorrow. Gaara turned away and followed their father into the kitchen. The redhead went to the kitchen counter and picked up three plates of spaghetti and placed them on the round kitchen table. He silently thanked Kankuro for the ability to cook food well. Gaara sat beside Kankuro, who had strategically planned the seating so Gaara would be opposite their father.

This had no effect whatsoever. The head Kaze simply turned his head to the side and spoke to Kankuro, never once looking up directly at Gaara. The redhead was used to this sort of treatment from his father and it felt no different from any other night. Gaara sighed almost inaudibly and stood up from the table, picking up his plate and dumping it in the sink before he left for his room. He could feel Kankuro's sympathetic gaze on his back but Gaara didn't want his brother's pity.

Gaara quietly climbed the stairs and walked back into his room, closing his door softly and standing at the window. A bolt of lightning split the sky and a large crack of thunder followed a few minutes later. Gaara sighed as he turned away from the window. He pulled out his notebook and opened it to a fresh page. It was times like these that the redhead was grateful for something to hold onto, even if it was a spiral notebook. He pulled his favourite pen from his messenger bag and sat down on the sofa that was placed in his room.

_A storm can destroy cities. A hurricane can destroy countries and humanity can destroy the world._

Gaara lifted the pen from the creamy white page, wondering what else he could add to the statement he had just written. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car screeching into the driveway of their house. _Temari's home._ Gaara put his pen down. He listened as the door opened and Temari entered, making as much noise as the garbage disposal did. _And she brought her noise with her. Great._

"Traffic is absolutely terrible! Honestly, I could have ordered pizza and gone to a movie and still be sitting in traffic!" Temari's voice came through the cracks of the door. Gaara smiled slightly. The vivacious blonde always made her opinions and thoughts known no matter who was or wasn't listening.

"I'm glad you made it home safely, Temari." Their father's voice joined his sister's. Gaara felt a slight stab of pain as their father lavished his attention on his sister.

"Temari, can't you be quieter? Do you have to come through the house like a fucking bulldozer?" Kankuro joined the conversation.

"Listen, it's not my fault that you have sensitive ears. Go put earplugs in then!"

"Earplugs wouldn't be of any use whatsoever! You're loud enough to break all sound barriers!"

Gaara felt another jolt of pain near his heart as he listened to his family banter playfully downstairs. He was the outcast, the misfit, the black sheep in a flock of white. Gaara picked up his pen once more and bit his lip to keep his emotions from pouring out. There was silence as his family stopped talking.

_Family, despite all the faults, is the only true constant in one's life._

Gaara closed his notebook and threw it on his bed. There was a creak from the floorboards outside in the hallways and Gaara lifted his head slightly. He heard a knock at the door and turned to see Temari walking in.

"Hey little bro. How are you?" Temari asked gently. Gaara looked at her.

"No better and no worse than usual," Gaara responded tonelessly. The blonde sighed and sat down on Gaara's bed. The redhead twitched as his comforter was messed.

"Still didn't talk to you tonight?"

"Temari, for the last seventeen years he has never once spoken to me or acknowledged my presence. I applaud him actually. I have no idea how he does it. Personally, I couldn't ignore anyone for a full seventeen years," Gaara finished his little rant and glared at the floor. He tensed as he felt Temari awkwardly place her hand on the small of his back.

"I don't know how to make him pay attention to you, Gaara," Temari whispered softly.

"It doesn't matter. He won't anyway," Gaara sighed.

"No one should have to live through that," she protested.

"I have to live through it. I'm surviving. It's not like everybody else loves me. I'm used to it," Gaara whispered. He moved his sister's hand from his back and stood up. "I've got tons of homework, Temari."

The blonde recognized it as a dismissal and turned to leave. Gaara exhaled softly as she closed the door behind her. As much as Gaara appreciated her help, he wanted his father to take notice of him on his own terms. Not by force. The redhead straightened his bedcovers and looked heavenward. _Mom, if you're up there listening to me like those cheesy movies say, then what is Dad's reason for not talking to me? If you had lived maybe things would have been different._ Gaara finished his internal speech with his mother and sighed. It was starting to get late and if Gaara wanted to get at least a few minutes of sleep that night, he would have to go to bed soon.

Gaara was an insomniac and it took him at least two hours to find a comfortable position and another two in order to relax enough to actually fall asleep. By that time, he had merely a few minutes of night left. But it didn't matter. Gaara functioned well enough on the little amount of sleep that he got. The redhead pulled on an oversized t-shirt that read "Insomniac" on it in large white letters and changed into boxers. He slid into bed and pulled the blankets over his head. It would take a while for him to go to sleep but it didn't matter. It gave him time to think and thinking was what Gaara did best of all.

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_**Aww, poor little Gaara. Making people's lives miserable is what I do. They say Fate is cruel. They were right. After all, it isn't exactly a nice thing when his father completely ignores him. That is, of course, my doing. I am the cat, he is the mouse. I will lift my paw from his tail for now. I will let him roam around. But when this game truly starts……..then we shall see. **_

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**OMG why do I always write such BORING starting chapters? It's pathetic. I just can never think of ways to make the beginning more interesting. Maybe it is interesting but because I wrote it I can't tell. Only my reviewers can do that. Please click that little review button. You know you want to. It would make me so happy. **

**:Wolfcat Demon:**


	2. Enter the Uchiha

****

Summary:

**Gaara is a quiet teen, burdened with a sickness that is his deepest secret. He was supposed to die a year ago but has somehow managed to hold on. Fate guides his way but for better or for worse? Will he get a chance at life? SasuGaa fic. YAOI. **

**Author's Note:**** Okay, well I actually got positive reviews on my last chapter! Well, really my first chapter….funny how you can call something last when it's your first….yes, I know I'm weird. Thanks to demonic blood shed666, Crimson Sea under the Red Moon, Xeralynn, Anonymous, theAtomicFaerie, menkomigen, and GaaraLuvsBeckii101 for reviewing. A new chapter here for you! It's taken me a while to get started on it but it doesn't matter. It's here now and that's what matters. Right?**

**Disclaimer:**** Of course I own Naruto. May a piano fall on me if I lie. – gets hit by a piano – **

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Chapter Two: Enter the Uchiha

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Isn't it sad how Gaara's father ignores him completely? Well, that is my fault. I create his problems and he has to work through them. It's not cruel. He needs to learn. He needs to learn about life. This is my way of teaching him. Not everything can be given to him. He has to work for it. And what about giving him this interesting disease? What a horrible life I'm giving him, huh? Do you want to know something? The reason I gave him this terrible life? It's fun. That's all. It's fun.

"And so, that is the reason why………"

Gaara tuned Kakashi out as he began to babble on about some random philosopher who discovered something or other. He didn't care. There were more important things he had to do. Said important things consisted of writing in his notebook and listening to his iPod. Most of the teachers didn't mind him doing what he liked in class. They were much too scared of him to begin with to even think about forcing him to do something he didn't want. This thought saddened Gaara slightly; just once, it would be nice if half the town wasn't afraid of him.

The redhead leaned back in his chair and stared towards the ceiling. There wasn't anything particularly interesting about the ceiling but Gaara had nothing better to look at. However, staring at a ceiling for any amount of time turns out to be fairly boring. Gaara decided his time could be used elsewhere. He reached into his bookbag and pulled out his iPod and put the earphones into his ears. He searched for a suitable song that would change his mood at the moment, which was currently boredom. Linkin Park was a good choice for right now. He set his iPod down as the opening chords of Numb came through the earphones.

Reaching back into his bag, he pulled out his worn but treasured notebook. He opened it and uncapped his pen, waiting for whatever deep thoughts might float through his head. In all actuality, Gaara was feeling quite bored and didn't think that writing down his thoughts (as important as they might be) would be of any entertainment right now. To all those who didn't know him, he was just as impassive as ever. His facial expression did not change so it was utterly impossible to tell what he was feeling. That was why most of his classmates thought he was extremely weird, antisocial and emo and something to be afraid of. Gaara didn't mind the first three but it would have been nice if the town accepted him.

_Sometimes, life just has to take its course and drag humanity along with it._

Gaara put his pen down and looked at what he had just written. He liked the idea he had just scrawled out on the paper. He smiled mentally at the thought before closing his notebook and putting it away in his bookbag. He straightened up and was hit on the head by a flying paper wad. He turned to see where it had come from and glared at Naruto who was waving frantically. Gaara sighed, beginning an internal fight on whether or not to flip Naruto off first or ask what he wanted.

"What?" Gaara hissed at the blonde. Naruto smiled. He pointed at the clock, then himself, drew a circle, then a square, flipped his thumb back and forth, pointed at Gaara, then made the "talk to the hand" sign. The redhead stared at him. He wondered if it was possible for humans to have no brains and simply function on the dust bunnies in their heads. He blinked and then glared even more fiercely at the blonde.

"What the fuck was that?!" Gaara growled. Naruto, completely unfazed by Gaara's anger, made all the motions again. It wasn't until Gaara fake-threw his philosophy textbook at Naruto's head did the blonde actually say what he was signalling.

"At lunch, are you going to eat with us at our table or are you going to go off by your lonesome?" The blonde asked.

"Why didn't you ask that in the first place?!"

"Signage is cool………and you can communicate with people who are deaf too!"

"Keep signing like that and you'll also make them blind," Gaara snarled. Naruto pouted at this.

"Well are you eating with us or not?" He asked again. Gaara sighed softly. There were times when he did eat at their table but most of the time he preferred to take a break from the busyness of school life. He hadn't eaten with Naruto's group in a while though. He could pass up one day of relaxation to endure the chaos of the school cafeteria.

"Yeah, I'll eat with you today," Gaara muttered resignedly. The blonde's face broke into a thousand-watt smile. He turned away and began writing down notes. The redhead still felt ticked off by the fact that Naruto had wasted half of his time in order to _sign_ something instead of just saying it aloud. Gaara looked towards the front at Kakashi, now scribbling something on the board. He raised his hand and gave Naruto "the finger". Feeling slightly more satisfied, he turned back to the front of the class.

Another paper wad hit him on the side of the head. He turned automatically towards Naruto and caught a slight grin on the face of the blonde. He picked up the paper and opened it. _I saw that. Can't wait to finally see you at the lunch table! FYI you better think up a good excuse to not being there this entire year. I don't think Haku will let you live if you tell him that you just want to be alone._ Gaara glared daggers at the blonde's back. He felt as though he would be regretting this promise to sit with his friends later. Perhaps it wasn't such a good thing that Gaara is nearly always right.

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The redhead wove his way through the crowded hallways and into the cafeteria. He caught sight of Haku and immediately followed the feminine looking boy to the table.

"Woah! Don't look now guys but something amazing has just taken place!" Haku announced as soon as he noticed Gaara behind him. "Gaara has _finally_ decided to sit with us after _sooo_ many years!"

"Shut up, Haku. It isn't that rare of an occurrence," Gaara said, sitting down at the lunch table. Pain shot through his left shoulder and up the left side of his neck. Gaara did nothing but narrow his eyes slightly. Anyone outside of their four person group and listening to their conversation would not have noticed the slight change of the redhead's eyes. Neither did anyone in their group, however. They were all too busy asking Gaara why he had decided to join them after _sooo_ long.

"Shut up all of you. I'm sitting here on request."

"I asked him to," Naruto explained as the others looked at him in confusion.

"So where HAVE you been all these times you haven't been sitting here with us?" Haku demanded. Gaara hated it when Naruto's predictions ended up right.

"I told you he wasn't going to let you live without a valid excuse," Naruto grinned. Gaara resisted the urge to hit his friend over the head.

"He couldn't kill me anyways. He's much too weak and _virtuous_ to do such a thing," Gaara answered. Haku glared at him.

"I could too!"

"I'd like to see you try."

"Shut up. You know I could do _some_ damage to you!"

Gaara looked at him. Haku stared back. The contest continued……and continued……and continued……

"Haku…" Naruto began. Haku blinked.

"DAMN IT!"

Gaara smirked.

"If you can't win a staring contest against me, then how do you expect to fight me?"

"Staring contests are irrelevant! Naruto never won a staring contest against you! I demand a rematch! The blonde distracted me!" Haku protested.

"Naruto fought me first so it didn't matter anyways."

"Well anyways, it's nice to finally see you sitting here," Haku said, smiling at Gaara. The redhead didn't bother to respond. He had been told the same thing continuously for the past fifteen minutes. Would he find _anybody_ who actually didn't care?

"Ah look. The emo child is associating himself with the school for some reason," a cold monotone voice came from behind him. Gaara didn't have to turn to see who it belonged to. It was Sasuke Uchiha, the most sought after boy of their school and the biggest asshole in the world. Why the hell did everyone have to notice that he was there? Was his absence that obvious? Why did Sasuke care?

"Glad to know you miss me so much, Uchiha," Gaara responded, still not bothering to turn around. Naruto's eyes shifted warily from Gaara to Sasuke. The only one of their group that was accepted by the Uchiha was Naruto because he and Sasuke had some sort of mutual understanding between them. Haku was completely neutral, never having been bothered by them and never associating with them to begin with. This was because of Zabuza, his extremely dangerous looking boyfriend whom _no one_ wanted to piss off. The last time somebody did so, he wasn't seen for a good three months. Hinata was shunned even though her cousin Neji was a part of Sasuke's crew. This was because Neji believed her weak, and undeserving of inheriting the Hyuuga business. Gaara was simply an outsider and someone to be taunted.

"You wish, Kaze. I'm just curious why you've decided to contaminate the cafeteria," Sasuke growled.

"So you do care about me," Gaara answered. The only thing he actually liked about Sasuke was the ease at which his feathers got ruffled. It was entirely too much fun to taunt Sasuke and see him fight while Gaara remained perfectly stoic and calm through the duration of the fight. If it turned to physical fighting, Gaara still had the upper hand. He was faster than Sasuke and sometimes, his inner self would emerge, doing major damage to whatever got in its way. Gaara hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"Vain much? I would never care about you, Gaara, not if you were the last person on earth!" Sasuke retorted.

"Then why are you still here?" Gaara asked simply. He heard Sasuke stop and knew that the Uchiha was gaping at him, trying to find an appropriate response. Gaara chuckled softly to himself. The poor Uchiha. He set himself up so much and it didn't take much to knock him down.

_**

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The Wonder Boy has some problems with Gaara. Let me give you a quick overview of why they hate each other. Yes, I know it's because of me but you need to know more than that. I caused Gaara to look quite handsome despite the fact that he thinks he looks emo. Sasuke hates him for this reason. He's also jealous because Gaara has some sort of ability to keep everyone away from him while still looking good. He doesn't know that Gaara thinks he looks unattractive. Gaara hates Sasuke because he doesn't know why the Uchiha attacks him so much. Sasuke never gave him a reason. See what screwed up lives I gave them? And it only gets better from here.

* * *

He got up from the table and made to walk away. Sasuke tried to grab him from behind and turn him around but Gaara evaded him. When he finally twisted to face Sasuke, he had the smallest smirk on his face but it was enough to infuriate The Uchiha.

"Don't you dare walk away from me, you good for nothing piece of shit," Sasuke snarled. Gaara merely raised an eyebrow.

"Surely you can come up with a better retort than that, Sasuke. I thought the Uchihas had a reputation to uphold. I guess it's becoming too much of a burden for you," Gaara taunted, flinging insults in Sasuke's direction in a carefree manner that most students had never seen before. In fact, he seemed positively delighted to be attacking and insulting Sasuke. The Uchiha Fanclub was staring daggers at him. Gaara couldn't have cared less. He simply sent a death glare back at them and made most of the girls faint from fright.

"Shut up. What do you know about reputation? You barely have a family!"

This comment hurt Gaara more than anyone knew but his face remained impassive. It seemed like he was resistant to the insults that Sasuke was throwing at him. The burn like mark on his neck pulsed. Gaara's eyes narrowed the tiniest fraction of an inch. It couldn't happen now. He had taken his medication. He needed to get Sasuke away from him. No one was to see him in his weak state. He used his anger at the Uchiha's comment to his advantage.

"Not at your best today, Uchiha. Come back tomorrow when you're actually ready to take me on," Gaara smirked. He turned away from Sasuke and strode out of the cafeteria. He walked quickly, his anger at Sasuke's comment surging through his blood, infuriating him further and giving him the strength to walk faster than he would originally would. He paced towards a secluded tree at the edge of the school grounds.

This tree was where he would come when he skipped classes and when he wanted to be alone. He went there now and sprawled at the base. He closed his eyes and leaned against the sturdy trunk of the tree. He heard shuffling and opened his eyes to see Haku, Naruto and Hinata in front of him. The edges of his eyes crinkled upwards and only those that knew him well would understand that he was smiling at them.

"Are you okay, Gaara?" Haku asked softly.

"I'm fine, Haku," Gaara responded tonelessly. Haku rolled his eyes.

"I didn't mean about Sasuke. I meant your condition. I saw you twitch there for a minute. Are you okay?"

"I took my medication. I don't understand what went wrong. Maybe it was my fight with Sasuke that got it acting up. Why is it always me he targets?" Gaara asked in frustration. In truth, he was sick and tired of being the one attacked by the Uchiha constantly. It was ten times worse than his fight with Naruto because the blonde didn't have a fanclub trailing him (no matter how much he wanted one) and screaming in high pitched voices 'stop insulting _Sasuke-kun_ because he's so much better than you'.

"Leave it. He's an asshole to everyone," Naruto said.

"I concur," Haku replied.

"He's not an asshole to you," Gaara said irritably.

"Sasuke and I have a complicated history. We were both enemies, then friends, then lovers and now we're neutral. He ignores me and I ignore him," Naruto explained. Gaara made a face and turned his head upwards to look at the sky that was smudged with clouds.

"Just once I wish he would leave me alone. I'm tired of fighting with him," Gaara sighed. Naruto placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Enough of Uchiha, is your condition all right?" Haku interrupted.

"It's fine. I don't know why it acted up. Maybe it was because I was fighting and my blood pressure rose or something."

"I saw your eyes narrow and everyone knows that that isn't a good sign," Haku persisted. Gaara wondered if it was too much to ask everyone to leave him alone.

"Do…do…you need med-medication, Gaa…Gaara-sama?" Hinata stuttered. Gaara looked gently at the timid girl, his seafoam green eyes looking into her milky lavender ones. Out of everyone Gaara had ever met, Hinata was the only one to ever see the truly gentle side of him. He could never be angry at the timid, shy girl because she of all people could really understand what he was feeling. Maybe it was her quiet personality allowed her to read people fully or maybe it was her nature that allowed her to do so.

"I'm fine for now, Hinata. You should concentrate on stopping Naruto from not taking his medication. At least I take mine," Gaara's lips curved upwards the tiniest fraction. Naruto flushed red.

"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have to take it at all!"

"That was a low blow."

"I'm sorry, Gaara. It's just that you rarely take medication at all!"

"What's the point? You stand a much better chance than I do," Gaara exhaled. Naruto glared at the redhead who ignored it.

"Don't say that. We have an equal chance. Are you skipping class today?" Naruto asked in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

"Yes. I don't feel like putting up with Sasuke for my last two classes. He's in my English class and my Math class. I have half a mind to change my schedule."

"Gaara-sama…you…you're the only…one I know…in…in math class," Hinata stammered. Gaara's eyes crinkled upwards again.

"I won't switch. Naruto would kill me for leaving you alone," Gaara glanced at the blonde who smirked back.

"Definitely. If he leaves you alone, just tell me and I'll sort him out," Naruto grinned, placing a chaste kiss on Hinata's cheek. The poor girl immediately turned bright red. Haku laughed and clapped Naruto on the back while Gaara simply turned the corners of his lips upwards.

"I love PDA's," Haku sighed happily. Gaara rolled his eyes.

"You are such a fluff, Haku," Gaara told the feminine boy as affectionately as he could. Haku merely laughed.

"At least I'm not an emo kid," he retorted playfully. Gaara half smiled; a rare occurrence. He lived for these moments. He lived for the moments where he could just be and not think. This wonderful atmosphere was punctured suddenly by a sharp sting of pain racing from Gaara's neck through the rest of his body. He gasped out loud and brought his hand to his neck. Naruto immediately went to his friend's side.

"What is it?" The blonde asked worriedly.

"Something's wrong," Gaara managed to gasp out. Naruto quickly pulled out his cellphone while Haku helped Gaara to his feet. Hinata got on the redhead's other side and supported him.

"Hello, Kankuro? For some reason, Gaara's sickness is acting up. We don't know why. We're bringing him home now. I have no extra med because I don't need that much. We're coming now. Okay, we'll see you there," Naruto closed his phone. "Come on you guys. Bring him to my car. We need to get him home so Temari can diagnose what's wrong with him. Gaara, are you in pain?"

"Not much," Gaara breathed. Naruto gave him a sceptical look before helping him into the car. The redhead grimaced as pain surged through his spine. Hinata jumped into the passenger seat and Haku got into the back seat to help Gaara in case he needed it. Gaara was wondering why the unfortunate always happened to him.

He got home and was barely able to make it out of the car; the pain had grown to such intensity. His vision was starting to blur. It had been a long time since he had had an attack like this. He was brought inside the house and laid on the sofa. He vaguely heard people running around and felt a cold cloth get placed on his head. He heard small whispers and exclamations and hisses of people telling others to be quiet. Throughout it all, Gaara remained stable and in pain. When would it stop? He was tired of being weak. He wanted strength. Above all, he wanted to be healthy again. But that was impossible. Still, what harm was there in hoping?

_**

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**_

Remember what you said about wishing Gaara? It's useless. So don't bother. I love giving you such hard things to deal with. It makes my game more interesting. And since I control the game, I may just throw in another crisis. But it's up to you on whether or not it's good.

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**The second chapter! I hope you enjoyed this and it wasn't too boring for you. Please comment! I changed my pen name because someone PM'd me, with the name CatWolfdemon and asked if I'd copied their name. If I had I did it unintentionally but the only flaw was that the author registered after me. Now I'm ChikaMystica. If you were confused over the name switch, I'm sorry!**

:ChikaMystica:


	3. Sickness And Discovery

**Summary:** **Gaara is a quiet teen, burdened with a sickness that is his deepest secret. He was supposed to die a year ago but has somehow managed to hold on. Fate guides his way but for better or for worse? Will he get a chance at life? SasuGaa fic. YAOI. **

**Author's Note:**** Another chapter up for you guys! Yay! I'm really getting into this. I'm enjoying writing this SasuGaa fic. I'm sorry it's taken forever to get this out. I've been very busy with schoolwork and such. Well, thanks to ednama, DemonicKitsune-chan, FullMetal Muffins, dragonlilly1993 and Naachan'sredhead for reviewing on the last chapter! Happy reading!**

**Disclaimer:**** Of course I own Naruto. May a piano fall on me if I lie. – gets hit by a piano –**

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Chapter 3: **Sickness and Discovery**_**

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Now what have we here? A sad little pawn with nobody to guide him in life? That does make me teary eyed. No. It doesn't. I could care less. But how rude to abandon my pawn on the game of life. Well, as long as he's there, why not make him suffer a little? It builds character. That sounds good to me. Come, Gaara, let me guide you. You make the choices and I'll lead you down the paths. But be aware, I may lead you astray.

* * *

"Are you feeling any better, Gaara?" Temari's voice came from overhead. The redhead looked up at her with pain filled eyes, biting his lip in an attempt to stop screaming. Temari sighed. There was nothing to be done but wait for the pain to subside. That or watch her little brother die here and now. Temari was certain that Gaara still had the strength to fight off the bacteria that was currently attacking his body.

"He's not looking good," Kankuro murmured. Naruto glared at Gaara's brother.

"He'll be fine. He's gotten through worse attacks than these."

"He's fighting the bacteria now. All we have to do is wait."

"So optimistic," Temari muttered. Kankuro wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulders. The three of them had basically been living on their own since their father came home after they were all asleep (except Gaara who woke up often during the nights) and left before they all rose. They had had to deal with the attacks of their sickness for as long and as terrible as they lasted. It was something that Temari was sick of, Kankuro hated and Gaara accepted.

Neither of the three cared much for their own attacks but hated it whenever a sibling succumbed to the dreadful infestation that invaded their bodies. It was much more painful to see a sibling in pain than to be in pain. The looks of agony and distress that appeared on the face of the attacked made it all the worse for those watching. In fact, Hinata was covering her eyes and Naruto had turned to regard a painting just over Temari's head.

"It's…stop-stopping," Gaara trembled as the pain began to leave his head and travel away, down his neck and into his chest. Temari breathed a sigh of relief and placed a damp cloth on Gaara's forehead. Kankuro looked a mite happier and let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

"Just relax for a moment. The cloth should cool you down a bit," Temari said, thankful that she still had two brothers. Naruto as well was looking better. Haku, who had been silent throughout the whole ordeal found the ability to speak once more.

"Thank god you're okay! I thought we were going to lose you this time!" Haku, with no regard for Gaara's condition, flung himself on top of the redhead, hugging him tightly. Gaara allowed a small smile to cross his face.

"You won't lose me. I still have to beat you in backgammon first," Gaara managed a cheery tone of voice.

"You've lived two years past the time you were supposed to die. It's harder and harder to believe that you'll come back from each attack. I keep expecting your time to come," Naruto gazed at his redhaired friend.

"You've got the same illness. Why the hell are you so worried about me?" Gaara asked, sending a look at the other male.

"Because I'm not supposed to die for another three years; four if I'm lucky. Tsunade still hasn't given me a straight answer. I think she's afraid that I'll get my hopes up," Naruto explained. Gaara made a face. Hinata pressed against Naruto lightly.

"N-n-naruto-kun…please don't say things like th-th-that," Hinata stuttered. The blonde looked contrite and wrapped an arm around his girlfriend reassuringly. Haku lowered his head slightly.

He and Hinata were the only ones here without this disease. And yet, they too were adversely affected. He blamed Gaara's father for this. If it wasn't for him then Gaara would still be clean. In fact, Gaara's whole family would have been fine if it hadn't been for Gaara's father. So Haku found it perfectly reasonable to blame him. Especially because he wasn't around to help his three children cope with the disease.

"That won't happen for a long time," Temari reassured. She was dead set on seeing her brother defeating the bacteria and living on without worry of disease. Gaara breathed out loudly and then sat up slowly, taking his time to adjust.

"What are you doing?" Kankuro demanded.

"I have to go. I have to work," Gaara answered. The Sabaku siblings as well as his three friends gaped at him.

"After you just had an attack and one of your worse ones, you decide to go work," Naruto summarized, looking at his friend as though he had just grown a pair of ears and a tail.

"Orochimaru doesn't know about this. He doesn't need to know and what he doesn't know won't hurt him _or_ be repeated for him. Am I clear?" Gaara got a deadly look in his eye.

"Gaara, despite the duties you have to the gang, please think of your health too," Kankuro said quietly. Gaara whirled to face him and then steadied himself as the world spun.

"Might I remind you that most of your objects, paraphernalia and the clothes on your back come from what I do?" Gaara's voice softened dangerously. Naruto shivered. Only Gaara could be weak one moment and then terrifying the next. Neither Temari nor Kankuro seemed to be fazed by it, however. Haku was watching the entire exchange with wide eyes and Hinata was looking carefully from the elder Kazes to the younger one.

"We know that, Gaara. But think of your health for once! It's going to do you no good if you run yourself ragged. Orochimaru will just find someone else to take out his enemies and you won't be making the money you do," Temari replied. Gaara's gaze softened slightly.

"I'll be fine. I promise. At the first sign of pain, I'll come home. But with our father acting nothing like one, we need money. We're so close to losing the house and everything that we've worked for. Once I get paid for this, we won't be stretching our budget so much," Gaara replied.

"Can't Kankuro or Temari go in for you?" Haku asked.

"No. Temari is the strategist and Kankuro is a distraction. Neither of them are assassins," Gaara answered. Naruto frowned.

"I still don't see why you do this. You already know that you're loved," Naruto said. Gaara remained silent.

When he was young, his father had been devastated by the loss of Gaara's mother during his birth. He had handed Gaara over to his brother and left him there. Yashamaru, his uncle, cared for him and taught him much of what he knew. One day, while he was visiting his family (Yashamaru had come to talk to Gaara's father) he has knocked over a picture standing on a table. His father had rushed into the room and upon seeing the picture, lying broken on the floor, charged at Gaara, screaming and yelling.

Yashamaru had brought him down before he could seriously do any damage but Gaara had felt a sharp pain in his neck and had blacked out later. He never knew it until he got back to his original family but he had been carrying the disease inside of him and both of his siblings had it too. Their father had passed it to the two of them and then onto Gaara. Yashamaru had met his end with the disease too but Gaara never wanted to dwell on the reason why.

Because Yashamaru was the only one who had shown Gaara any sort of affection (and died taking every word back) Gaara felt utterly lonely when he realized that nobody loved him. He had become part of a gang and now worked as one of the top assassins, taking down those who were marked specially as traitors, enemies or valuable. But three years after he had joined the gang, his siblings had told him that they cared deeply for him. Yet Gaara kept working for them, needing the money for his family.

"It's the money we need, not the… feigned affection," Gaara responded. Temari bit her lip.

"Just promise to be careful. No unnecessary risks," Temari glared at her brother.

"None. I promise. If I do this right, I'll be back before eleven."

"Okay. Be careful."

_**

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Gaara, Gaara, Gaara. Whatever am I going to do with you? As soon as I make your life miserable, you stand up and move on. Have I thrown too much in your way to make you feel anymore? Have you become a cold and unfeeling monster? I give you pain and you give me entertainment. It sounds like a fair trade right? Of course not. But you can't bargain with me. You can't even see me, even though I am all around you.

_**How about we make this interesting? I will bring you the best thing you could possibly have in your life. And in return, you give me anything that I ask for. Or rather…what one of my friends asks for. Deal? Deal. Good. We have a bargain. One sided but you'll know what I mean in time. You can't hear this. So don't worry. Let Fate guide your path. Because Fate has a great plan in life for you.**_

* * *

Gaara walked through the dark streets of town, towards gang territory. Here, gangs collected to settle debts, battle and create alliances. Most of the time, battle was waged here, gun fights and everything. Deals were struck, enemies made and gangs divided or conjoined. It was a world of strategy and coldness. To be strong, you had to be hard. To be hard you had to be cold. To be cold, you had to be heartless. That was the nature of the gang world.

The redhead came to an abandoned building and broke a shard of glass off an already broken window and threw it into a hole in the ground and then waited. An underground door opened up and two men stepped out of the doorway.

"Give me your medallion," the first man with dark sunglasses and a tough look about him said. Gaara held out the necklace with a pendant of three commas creating a circle hanging from it. The man pressed the pendant into a fitted hole. There was a flash of light and the man handed the medallion back to Gaara who remained expressionless.

"You're clear. Go in," the man with bright red hair said, gesturing towards the run down door. Gaara nodded and walked into the abandoned building. A long hallway led to an elevator and he pressed the fourth floor. The elevator went down and Gaara wondered who he'd have to kill tonight. He sighed in resignation and prayed that tonight would be someone easy. He got out of the lift and was immediately greeted by a utterly bitchy but tough girl named Tayuya.

"He's expecting you," Tayuya said, her eyes narrowing. Gaara nodded, almost imperceptibly. He walked through the large double doors and into the office of one of the most prominent underground bosses to date.

"You summoned me?" Gaara asked, not bothering to keep the indifference out of his voice. Orochimaru nodded and gazed at the redhead coldly.

"Yes. We need to take out Sai. He's been much too nosey lately and it's time he leaves. Luckily, he has no prominence in society so the job should be quick and easy. All you need to do is take him out. Others will take care of the body. Are we clear on this?" Orochimaru's voice was icy. Gaara nodded.

"Second cousin to the last of the Uchihas?" Gaara asked. Orochimaru nodded.

"Yes. He has…debts…to pay and he lacks the sufficient funds to do so."

"Won't…Itachi be displeased? He has importance in the Akatsuki gang and in the very core of society," Gaara stated carefully. It took very little to set Orochimaru off these days. The gang leader laughed; a cold, sharp sound.

"Itachi has no notion of it. You need not worry."

"Very well. It shall be as you command," Gaara nodded in submission.

"Very good. You serve me well."

"Is my weaponry ready for me?"

"You will not use weapons this time. I want you to use the dogs for this," Orochimaru grinned, his eyes lighting up with a spark of delight.

"As you wish," Gaara sighed. Orochimaru nodded and Gaara bowed his way out of the office. He glared at the door as soon as it closed.

"How did it go? Who are we taking out tonight?" Tayuya asked. Gaara looked at her, his seafoam green eyes cold.

"No worse than usual. Tonight, Sai's the unlucky one," Gaara answered. He walked away from the office and towards the elevator. Tayuya followed him and the two stepped into the elevator. He pressed the fifth floor button and the lift went down. The two of them waited in silence. Then the elevator doors opened and the two of them got off and went into a long hallway. They walked into a room three doors down and were met with another gang member.

"Hey, Gaara. What is it for tonight? I thought you weren't coming because Orochimaru gave us no instruction to prepare your weapons," the man with shocking red hair said, spinning his own weapon, an electric knife, lazily.

"I only need twin sabres for persuasion. For the kill…we're using the dogs," Gaara answered, taking down two large swords from the wall. The other redhead stared in shock.

"It's been forever since Orochimaru used the dogs!"

"Which is why they'll be twice as vicious."

"And that's a terrifying thought," Tayuya added. Gaara nodded in silent concurrence.

Gaara strapped the two sabres to his back and then made his way out of the gang hideout into the cool night air. He looked at the dark streets, knowing that a gang battle could commence at any moment. He was right. Before he had stepped fully out onto the road, a battle started. Gunfire erupted in full force on Konoha's streets. Gaara rolled his eyes. What an inconvenience.

Running away from the two battling gangs, Gaara reminded himself that he was lucky to be part of Orochimaru's gang. He was powerful as well as intimidating. Nobody but the Akatsuki, their main rivals, could do much damage to them. Still, Gaara wished that there was some way to get out of this lifestyle. If he could, he would give up his gang duties and live like a normal teen. Well, not exactly _normal_ but as normal as he could manage.

Gaara slipped through the gates of the three Uchiha mansions. He looked up to see the dark windows of the mansion. There was without a doubt an alarm protecting the large mansion. No matter, he was an experienced at breaking and entering. Gaara ran to the side of the house where a large fuse box was planted. He smirked. Obviously Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha didn't care much about their second cousin to give him the worst protected house on the planet. Gaara quickly switched all of the fuses to 'off' before he went to a window and carefully ran a nail around one of the large panes of glass.

He removed the glass and stepped through the hole. He looked around the house and he nodded, impressed. Despite the lack of security, Sai obviously lived in complete luxury. So why wasn't he paying Orochimaru back? Either way, it didn't matter now. He was fucked and there was nothing he could do about it now. Gaara made his way silently up the stairs, taking out both sabres. The soft snores of his prey guided him to the room in question.

He made his way into darkness and stood over the bed of the unsuspecting victim. For a moment, Gaara wanted to warn Sai to get out of the place, to run away and not come back to Konoha. But he needed money. Fate was one cruel bastard. Gaara placed the point of one blade at the small of Sai's back while placing the flat of his other blade against his neck. The victim slowly woke up.

"Don't scream, don't say anything and don't even _think_ of running away. Follow me and make no noise or you will pay dearly," Gaara snarled.

* * *

Ten minutes later, they were at the location. The redhead felt a pang of sorrow for what was going to happen. Sai had been pleading for the last ten minutes for another chance. But it was too late. Gaara wished that Orochimaru was a little more forgiving but this was a dog-eat-dog world. Anyone and everyone could be a friend or an enemy and it all depended upon the circumstances.

"Just one more chance!" Sai pleaded.

"You've had your chances! Now you pay with more than money!" Tayuya snarled. Gaara wondered where the girl learned how to be so bloodthirsty.

"Shut up, Tayuya," Gaara growled, ignoring her glare. It had no effect. He could pulverize her and not receive a scratch. "Kidomaru, release the dogs," Gaara ordered. The other male nodded and opened the cage that allowed dogs with the ferocity of hellhounds to run straight into Sai's cage. The man screamed as the dogs clawed and bit him. Tayuya smirked and Kidomaru remained expressionless.

"Congratulations, Gaara. I trust you had no trouble," Orochimaru said, appearing on the scene. The redhead shook his head.

"None. He came willingly. The house is free for raid," Gaara reported. He wished desperately he was doing something else. If only he hadn't been so desperate to find a family. It was his fault and his alone that he was roped into this lifestyle. But as long as his siblings were being cared for and had the money to live comfortably, he would continue to do this.

**Kid…hey! Kid!**

"What do you want, Shukaku?" Gaara asked silently. His other half, his split personality laughed darkly.

**It's not every day you can see dogs tear a man to shreds.**

"If you don't have a legitimate reason for bothering me right now then would you please-?" Gaara was cut off in mid thought.

**Aww, the kid is cranky. Not used to setting dogs on people?"**

"It's part of my job. I have no choice."

**Yes you do. You could get out of gang life. You could get an actual job.**

"Where have you been? Half the people in this town are afraid of me for reasons I have never known. I have been shunned my whole life. Who would hire me? And gang life is the only life I've known. It's the only place where people accept me as who I am. A killer, a freak or whatever else their little minds have come up with."

**And you actually care about what people think, kid?**

"To some extent. I just wish I was accepted. But I'm the freak. I don't know why I still bother to go to school."

**I know why.**

"I don't want to hear about it, Shukaku."

**Why so touchy?**

"Because it's not true."

**I think it is. Remember, I have a path into your mind. I can see your thoughts, wishes and **_**desires**_**.**

"_SHUT UP_!"

**As you wish, kid.**

Gaara gritted his teeth. Since the death of his uncle, Gaara had had to deal with an abomination named Shukaku, the split personality. He took over on occasion and caused Gaara no amount of grief. The redhead hated it when Shukaku took it upon himself to be known and heard. He looked up as the sun broke over the horizon, faint colours of pink and gold dancing in the sky. School would be starting in four hours. He had enough time to make himself look relatively normal and forget about the screams of the person he had just brought to his death.

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_Well, it seems that the curse I gave you might turn into a blessing, Gaara. Shukaku is very good for you. He makes you realize things. I prefer it if you remain oblivious but this is a game! And that makes it very interesting. Just think. I could kill you in a car crash, I could make you die from your illness and I can make you blind, deaf, completely helpless. Fate does things like that. And nobody can stop it. And you, Gaara, have the privilege of playing a game with me…which makes your hardships even worse. Because you should know by now that I **love entertainment.**_**_

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Oh gosh! I can't believe it took me this long to get this chapter out! I hope you enjoyed it and are not inclined to kill me. Something happened in this chapter and I feel like it sucks. Perhaps it does, I can't be the judge. I leave that up to you! o(^^)o So I hope you enjoyed it. I promise the next chapter won't take me this long. Thanks for reading!

***~ChikaMystica~***


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